Jamey Johnson "The Guitar Song"

Jamey Johnson had produced one heckuva country album, and has one of the strongest voices made for country. This one album has made me appreciate country a whole lot more because it has a ton of heart, wit, and great songs! Maybe because it is real country music. A Double Disc! A record that was much better than anticipated! It gets "Lonely At The Top," and with a starter like this it would not be hard to see why,but believe me if this isn't your cup of tea it gets even better."Cover Your Eyes," and you can envision Santana playing the guitar at times, and then it gets to this bombastic bridge with strings as he sings "It can't hurt forever/Soon I wont ever cross your mind/Cover your eyes/It don't see me going/There's no way of knowing/When it's time to cry/Cover your eyes." Well if you weren't already, maybe the next song will have you singing the "Poor Man Blues," which is about one of those people that are rich and powerful that think they own the world and use the 'po folk for entertainment "Well son you'd better watch your back when a poor man gets the blues." When it's time I'll let you know, no need to tell you twice "Set 'Em Up Joe," and some of those old favorite records that were played on constant will suffice. We'll start with a little background "When the only LA I knew was lower Alabama/Back when me and Hannah were wishing on a southern star/Now its so complicated, I really hate it, why'd I ever want to go so far/Taking depression pills in the Hollywood Hills/Acting like I'm playing the part/All this gripping and grinning, losing and winning, and running/Promises break like an egg on the hot asphalt/What the hell was I thinking, drinking like I'd never get caught/ These high dollar women, and the fame and the fortune, ain't worth the ticket I bought" as he wears a mask, a whole different face, pretending to be happy even when he may feel like a disgrace, it cost so much I cannot go back now, "Playing the Part" never seemed so hard.The song is just so catchy, and the instrumentals just suit the lyrics so well that this walkon the boulevard seems as the red carpet on the way to the Another sentimental song follows with "Baby Don't Cry" as he includes three little pigs and little bo peep in the beginning, and promises that before she cries to call him and he will be there as fast as can be to make her smile. Most of us hope to be "Heaven Bound," and Jamey feels that he may already be in heaven with his love by his side, but if he can't past the gates at least he enjoyed the ride. "Can't Cash My Checks' is the longest at 7:17, and a slow burner with a persistance of will, and a tale of a hard working man who gets up before the sunshine, and goes deeper in debt, but proclaims "And you can't cash my checks/And you can't feel this hunger/You can push me into the water/But you can't hold me under/You can bring me down/But you can't make me beg/You can take my word/ But you can't cash my checks." A heartbreaker this song is really, and the vocals are very powerful, the songs pace seems kind of dizzying, not that it's fast, but this whirlwind of emotion and tempo sort of does that before 4:37, and then it finishes the last few minutes with a nice instrumental suffix. So, "That's How I Don't Love You" mentions things he does because he loves someone, but then drinks the bitter sting of rejection and unrequited love causing his love to die, and him to suffer "Heartache," which is a real great rocking song; in this song he narrates and takes the point of view of a heartache, which is pretty interesting. I suggest you pay attention to the lyrics, but I will give you a taste:"I was born by fire in a cold dark cave /In the age of the dinosaur/When a cave man caught his cave woman lovin' /On the missing link livin' next door/There was cryin' and screamin' and war drums a beatin'/ And a wave o' violence/None o' them folks survived but me/And I been hangin' 'round ever since." Then he plans "Mental Revenge" which also follows in the same vein of the dark side of the mood,  because unrequited love can be very persuasive when it comes to self-loathing and anger. "Even The Skies Are Blue," but it cannot prevent you from feeling blue too in this slow paced struggle between good and evil, but the title refers to the skies being blue emotionally, so technically if equate it with its visual the sky would be gray and cloudy. Living life "By The Seat Of Your Pants" can have you filled with adrenaline, and never get boring,but can also tire you out.The title just sounds so silly, and the song is fun to listen to, but doesn't start until 0:45; this beat just hops for joy and the fact that the song preceding it was pretty depressing shows that Johnson is pretty capable of writing songs that cover all emotions, and we can't forget his sense of humor. The last few songs were wearing me out with their negaitivity, and finally we have an uplifting fun song to bring our spirits up; so high that "California Riots" cannot bring us back down. It is about the nice life in Cali, but has him saying he would not want to be here when it riots or live there forever, but would love to visit. "A Dog In The Yard" is a metaphor concerning a relationship he has, or could have, with someone. The title track features Bill Anderson and is in the point of view of a guitar, another great fun song to listen to with speaking passages between Johnson and Anderson and "I've seem at least a million of those tiny smoke bar rooms/And I've help to heal some heartaches /And I've helped to sell some beer/And the last on to help me/Just couldn't wait to sell me/For 20 dollars and left me hanging here/But I dream about the spot light /And the roaring of the people/And I wonder if I'm ever gonna hear 'em sing along." If you must know the reason, to all the time I spend, on this guitarn and on a broken heart, well, "That's Why I Write Songs," and for more reasons known. "Macon" seems like a nice place, and their excitement call out some curiosity, they also have some a choir of southern belle choirgospel, and that guitarwork till noon. Hot climates and droughts such as these can make anyone "Thankful For The Rain," and this song does too. "Good Morning Sunrise, How long has it been?/Well It looks like, I drank myself sober again/Ever Since she left me, You've been so hard to face/Good Morning Sunrise, Guess I'll call it a day," and hang out on the "Front Porch Swing Afternoon," okay? It is such a nice song, and ends with piano, a song that is made to be listened to on a nice summer day out in the country or rural areas of relatives. If you ever say "I Remember You" I hope that it's for only good reasons, instead of being a pain in the butt. It is a heartfelt tale of God looking back on one of his children from whence he was born, through sunday school and all throughout that child's life. Another upbeat, quick paced rocker that has us hoping for the good times, or even accompanies them, but "The Good Times Ain't What They Used To Be." Let's just say that this record ends on a one two punch,"For The Good Times" we wait, but "My Way To You" is the trip that I would wait the longest if only you could read this.Just the sentiment in the latter track and the sound seems so grand that onr could watch over a valley with that solo, and Johnson'stop-notch vocals made excusively for country; and then there is this short little instrumrntal after some silence. IF I Could play these twelve guitar songs I would choose: Cover Your Eyes, Poor Man Blues, Heaven Bound, Can't Cash My Checks, Heartache, Mental Revenge, By The Seat of Your Pants,The Guitar Song, Front Porch Swing Afternoon, I Remember You, Good Times Ain't What They Used Be, and  For The Good Times.